The woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault said Tuesday she wants the FBI to investigate her claims before the Senate holds hearings on the allegations, according to multiple reports.
A lawyer for Christine Blasey Ford made the request in a letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the New York Times said.
“A full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions,” said the letter to Grassley, first obtained by CNN.
Ford, a university professor from California, said a drunk Kavanaugh tried to take off her clothes and covered her mouth from screaming during a scary 1982 incident.
“We would welcome the opportunity to talk with you and Ranking Member Feinstein to discuss reasonable steps as to how Dr. Ford can cooperate while also taking care of her own health and security,” the letter said. “What we’re saying is there should be an investigation because that’s the right thing to do.”
Kavanaugh has strongly denied the allegations.
The Department of Justice has previously said it was not going to investigate the claims by Ford.
The damaging accusation has prompted Grassley to call for his committee to reconvene on Monday to give Kavanaugh and Ford a chance to testify.
“Nothing of substance and nothing legitimate can happen by Monday,” Lisa Banks, an attorney for Ford, told CNN Tuesday night.
Banks said hearings on Monday would be “premature.”
Banks didn’t make clear in her CNN interview if Ford would actually show up for a hearing if the Senate ultimately ordered one. At one point she said Ford would cooperate with the committee, then when pressed she implied Ford wouldn’t appear Monday, telling Anderson Cooper “there’s no reason we should have a public hearing on Monday.”
Sen. @LindseyGrahamSC on Kavanaugh accuser: "I want her to be heard. I don't want her to be shut out." #TheStory https://t.co/BUhUgSHhG7 pic.twitter.com/mfOvihZUwj
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 18, 2018
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, agreed that rushing Ford to the witness chair on Monday wouldn’t proper.
“We should honor Dr. Blasey Ford’s wishes and delay this hearing. A proper investigation must be completed, witnesses interviewed, evidence reviewed and all sides spoken to. Only then should the chairman set a hearing date,” according to a statement from Feinstein on Tuesday night.
“The decision to come forward or not come forward has always been Christine Blasey Ford’s, and that includes her participation in a hearing.”
MORE: Lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford say in letter that she has "been the target of vicious harassment and even death threats" and because of that, has been forced to leave her home https://t.co/0GqqZ61osY pic.twitter.com/QKWXaFhvKY
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 19, 2018
Feinstein, first elected to the Senate in 1992, said she didn’t want a repeat of the 1991 Anita Hill hearings.
“I agree with her 100 percent that the rushed process to hold a hearing on Monday has been unfair and is reminiscent of the treatment of Anita Hill,” according to Feinstein. “I also agree that we need the facts before senators — not staff or lawyers — speak to witnesses.”
This report originally appeared on NYPost.com.
